


Choosing Your Path

by Charmedforever9494



Series: Smoaking Canary Sweetness [8]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Smoaking Canary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charmedforever9494/pseuds/Charmedforever9494
Summary: James is a little cinnamon bun and just wants to make his family proud. Some good ole Smoaking Canary family fluff
Relationships: Sara Lance/Felicity Smoak
Series: Smoaking Canary Sweetness [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/119032
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Choosing Your Path

**Author's Note:**

> A super delayed installment of the 'Smoaking Canary Sweetness' series. It’s been like FIVE years...so whoever reads this - THANK YOU.

James Lance was an adult. Well almost an adult. He was turning eighteen in like three days so he was basically an adult. As an adult, he was perfectly capable of making his own decisions. Which is why he was sitting on the couch in the Arrow cave. Under a mountain of blankets. Halfway on top of his mama’s lap. Trying to convince her to choose his career path because he was just SO over this stressful situation. Just as a real adult would do.

“Honey. As much as I want to be able to make this decision for you…and you know that I really do,” Felicity mumbled the last part under her breath. “But this is your life, not mine. You have to make this decision based on what you want.”

“So what you’re saying is…that you want me to accept the scholarship to MIT instead of joining the League.”

“No, but I wouldn’t be opposed --”

“And you would be so heartbroken if I didn’t. So that’s why I’ll have to break Aunt Nyssa’s heart instead. Dear god.”

“James --”

“Aunt Nyssa has been dreaming about this ever since I was born. Literally. Mama, she gave me a journal of daily thoughts she had of me ever since you went into labor with me.”

“Oh my god really?”

“I have to join the League.”

“Okay that’s enough, James.” Felicity said firmly. The older woman groaned as she sat up to face her son. She sighed at the sight of her grown son sitting beside her, bundled up in a pile of blankets. “You can’t choose your next step in life based on what you think we want. We just want you to be happy. Anything you choose to do, we will all support you. You know, as long as it’s legal.”

“But --”

“League business not included.”

***

_Jab. Jab. Duck. Right hook. Left hook. Duck. THUMP._

“Uh. You good there, kid?”

“Uncle Ollie. What do you think will happen if I just lay down here for the rest of my life?”

“I mean. You’ll miss dinner and I think Felicity’s making her famous lasagna so”

“Nevermind.”

***

Sara tensed as she felt a presence behind her. In less than a second, a hooded figure was backed against the wall with their arms held behind their back. The blonde raised an eyebrow as she heard a familiar grunt and smirked. “Getting rusty in your old age?”

“Sweetheart, if I did not want you to catch me...you would not have.”

“Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night. What are you doing back in the states, Nys? James’ graduation isn’t for another week.”

“Well if you must know, we had a few unknown shadows hit our radar so I thought I would personally check them out while I am in the area.” The “heir to the demon” stated confidently. Then proceeded to deflate at the look of disbelief on Sara’s face. “I also missed my godson and decided to extend my trip to a month instead of just his graduation week.”

“Now that makes more sense.” the blonde chuckled and wrapped her arm around the taller woman’s waist, leading her down the street to the Arrow cave. “Let’s go grab the kid and head out for some burgers and fries...on you. Since you missed him so much.”

“Really, Sara. Your child is nearly a grown adult. Are you not able to feed him anything with minimal grease and sodium?”

”“Is that a no?”

“Absolutely. I am taking him out tomorrow and I am quite sure that he will choose that as our meal. I refuse to ingest such garbage two days in a row”

“So pizza it is.”

***

James sat in a booth squeezed between his mothers, periodically grinning at his godmother who sat across the table. They had just demolished their “ghastly meal”, as Nyssa had so kindly called their pizza and beer (root beer for the underage!). His smile dimmed almost unnoticeably as thoughts of his imminent graduation wormed their way into his mind. Glancing from his mom exaggeratingly flexing her biceps in jest, to his mama staring lovingly at her wife, and lastly to his godmother. The “heir to the demon”, a shadow deemed as a monster or devil to anyone unlucky enough to fall into the League’s path. Even though he had shared fears of choosing his path with his mama, he knew that wasn’t what he was really scared of. He was scared of leaving. Leaving the city he grew up in to go to his mama’s alma mater with no one by his side. The closest feeling of home being a weekly (read: daily) facetime with his mothers. Leaving to join the League of Shadows with Nyssa behind him, but still at a distance. The two of them had spent the day after she had arrived in the city together. It prompted an expected yet disheartening discussion in which he realized that while she would be there to watch over him, he would still be a trainee to the League. Even Nyssa couldn’t do much about the fact that all trainees had to fight their own battles and train intensively on their own. Any kind of special treatment could turn other team members against him or even disadvantage his own training. If she were to make anything easier for him...how would he face the real world without having someone as his crutch?

***

“James Lance!”

As he made his way across the stage, James looked into the stands and grinned widely as he caught a glimpse of his mothers waving around a large sign - “SEE THAT HANDSOME KID IN THE CAP AND GOWN? THAT’S OUR BABY”. Sitting next to them, was his Uncle Ollie. Who was not sobbing into Dig’s shoulder. Or at least that’s what he would continue to claim until his last breath. Beside them, somehow slightly hidden by a shadow even in broad daylight, was Aunt Nyssa. Stoic with a hint of a smile...which was all completely thrown off by her large glittery sign that read “THAT ONE. THAT IS MY HEIR.”. James was pretty sure his mama must’ve added the glitter and smiley face at the bottom to make it a little more...friendly. It could’ve been the distance but James was ninety percent sure there were flames of fire and daggers drawn on the poster.

As he took hold of his high school diploma and shook the hand of his principal, he smiled. It was a small but genuine smile that showed deeply in his eyes. He may not have decided what path he was going to take yet and he was still hesitant to be separated from his family in any form. But in that moment. That moment where he could see tears of happiness on the faces of everyone he loved. That moment where he was pulled into a group hug, smothered between his mothers and joyous hands clasping on his shoulders. That moment of pure excitement and contentment. He was happy.


End file.
